Unless You Believed in Vain

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Unless You Believed in Vain

The faith God wants us  to have  is really very basic.     Even a child can understand  what God has done  and put his trust wholly  in the Lord.     Paul wanted the Corinthians  to be sure  they were on the right track,  so that false preachers  wouldn’t lead them astray  and rob them  of eternal life.    So,  trying to put the basics  in a nutshell,  here is what Paul wrote  in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10,

Now I make known  to you,  brethren,  the gospel  which I preached  to you,  which also you received,  in which also you stand,  by which also  you are saved,  if you hold fast the word  which I preached  to you,  unless you believed  in vain.

For I delivered  to you  as of first importance  what I also received,  that Christ died  for our sins  according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried,  and that He was raised  on the third day  according to the Scriptures,   and that He appeared  to Cephas,  then to the twelve.

After that  He appeared to more than five hundred brethren  at one time,  most of whom remain  until now,  but some have fallen asleep;  then He appeared  to James,  then to all the apostles;  and last of all,  as it were  to one untimely born,  He appeared  to me also.

For I am the least  of the apostles,  who am not fit  to be called an apostle,  because I persecuted the church  of God.    But  by the grace  of God  I am what I am,  and His grace toward me  did not prove vain;  but I labored  even more than all of them,  yet not I,  but the grace of God  with me.

Here is this simple gospel.     Christ died,  was buried,  rose,  and appeared  alive.     So?     It was all  according to Scriptures  that were written hundreds  and thousands  of years  before it actually happened.     That should be the eye-opener.

The fact  that all this happened  according to prophesy  is living proof  that the power  of the Almighty LORD  was at work.     That being obvious,  we need to conclude  that all of Jesus’ preaching  was the truth.     That being said,  we need  to believe  that Jesus spoke the truth  when He said  in Mark 16:16,

He who has believed  and has been baptized  shall be saved;  but he who has disbelieved  shall be condemned.

So,  are we wanting  to water Jesus’ words down  and just accept some  of them as truth  and disregard the rest  because they don’t fit our life style,  or else do we just feel  we don’t have the strength  to live  according to God’s word?

That would be “believing”  in vain.     If we take the time  to realize  that only God’s power  could have worked  all those Old Testament prophesies  into the one life  of Jesus Christ,  we’ve got to wake up  to the fact  that the Bible is presenting truth  to us.

Because it is presenting truth — and is very contrary  to what the world pushes — it behooves us  to do something about it  in our lives.     These truths  may be simple enough  for a child to believe,  but they are also  more profound  than any human mind  can fully comprehend.

In spite of his sinful past,  Paul accepted God’s grace  and forgiveness  in Jesus.    Therefore,  his faith  in God  would not be in vain.     We also,  need to ask ourselves,  “Just what do I believe  about this Christ?     Is my kind of  ‘faith’  in vain?”

As we accept God’s loving grace  towards us,  we can finally rest  in His forgiving arms  and say,  “Hallelujah!     My Lord,  I don’t know why  You keep on loving me  and pursuing me,  but please don’t ever give up  on me.”

Love,
Margaret

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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods

 

Pray for our country.

 

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

 

The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

 

Sing for joy in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming  to the upright.
Psalm 33:1

 

How blessed are those  who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4

 

Just as a father has compassion  on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

 

Oh give thanks to the LORD,  for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1

 

Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3

 

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12

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